herman



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. J.'HERMAN.

HATGHW-AY.

No. 410,278. Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

N. PETERS. Phnlwlilhiugnphat. Wahinm 0.5

UNITED- STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE.

EMILE J. HERMAN, on ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE SAFETY HATCHDOOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. j

HATCHWAY.

SPECIFICIITION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,278, datedSeptember 3, 1889.

Application filed September 1, 1888. Qerial No. 284,381. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, EMILE J. HERMAN, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inSelf Closing Hatchways, of which the following is a full clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, and in which Figure I is a verticalsection through the doors of an elevator-shaft and a cage, showing thedoors closed and the operating mechanism in elevation. Figs. II and IIIare horizontal transverse sections looking upward, taken on line II III,Fig. I, Fig. II showing the doors closed, and Fig. III showing the doorspartly opened. Fig. IV is an enlarged detail elevation of thedoor-support. Fig. V is an enlarged detail elevation of the doorsupport,looking in a direction at right angles to that shown in Fig. IV.

This invention relates to an improvement upon the Letters Patent grantedto Richard D. Thackston and Henry I. Ooe March 27, 1 883, No. 274,844;and it consists in devices for opening and closing such horizontal doorsas shown in said patent.

Referring to thedrawings, 1 represents the floor of a building; 2, thehatchway or opening; 3, the doors, and 4 the cage or car of an elevator.The doors are pivoted by their corners to suitable supports as, forinstance, the uprights 5 of the elevator shaft or well. .(See Figs. IIand III, the doors being shown closed in Fig. II and partly opened inFig. III.) The manner in which these doors open and close is fullydescribed in the patent referred to; but an improvement in the devicefor opening and closing them forms the subject-matter ofmy invention. 1

7 represents short vertical shafts journaled in boxes 8, by which theyare secured to the uprights 5 or other supports, and to these shafts thedoors are rigidly secured. The shafts are provided with springs 9,Whichact to close the doors after they have been opened. Secured to thepivoted corner of each door is a rack-segment 10, engaged by aconnecting and sliding rack-bar 11. (See Figs. II and III.) The innerend of each rack-bar is secured to the lower end of a lever or rock-bar12, that is pivoted at 13 to a fixed support 14. The rack-segment andrack-bar thus form a connecting device between the lever and the door.The upper end of the lever 12 is preferably provided with afriction-roller 15. Secured to the cage 4 is a cam or bar 16, which hasat its lower end a bevel or incline 17 on its outer edge, and which hasat the upper end a bevel or incline 18 on its inner edge.

The operation is as follows: As the cage descends the parts are in theposition shown in Fig. I, the incline 17 insuring the passage of the bar16 on the inside of the roller 15 on the upper end of the lever 12. Asthe cage continues to descend the bar 16 comes against the roller 15,and the lever is gradually forced into the position shownin dottedlines, Fig. I. This moves the rack-bar inwardly, and this, through meansof the rack-segment 10, produces the opening of the door with a slowgradual horizontal movement, as the bearing between the upper end of thelever 12 and the bar 16 is gradual from end to end of the latter. By thetime the cage reaches the hatchway the door is fully opened. In theascent of the cage the incline 18 insures the passage of the bar 16 onthe outside of a roller 20, secured to the lower end of the lever 12,(see dotted line 21, Fig. I,) and as the cage continues to ascend thelower end of the lever 12 is forced inwardly again, opening the door, sothat by the time the cage reaches the door it is fully opened. After-thecage passes, the door is closed under the influence of the spring 9. Incase two doors are used, as shown in Figs. II and III, there will be aduplicate of the device I have described for each.

I claim as my invention- 1. .The combination of a car 4, the bar 16,secured thereon, the horizontal door 3, having vertical shaft 7, therock-bar 12, with which the bar 16 engages, pivoted to the side of theelevator-well, and the sliding bar 11, 9

connected with the lower end of the rock-bar and with the shaft,substantiallyas described.

2. The combination of a car 4:, the bar 16, secured thereon, having endinclines 17 and 18, the horizontal doors 3, having a vertical shaft 7,the rock-bar 12, with which the bar 16 engages, pivoted to the side ofthe elevatorwell, and the sliding bar 11, connected with the lower endof the rock-bar and with the shaft, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a car 4, the bar 16, secured thereon, thehorizontal door 3, having vertical shaft 7, the rock-bar 12, with whichthe bar 16 engages, pivoted to the side of the elevator-well, thejournal-boxes 8 8 for the shaft, the closing-spring 9, coiled around theshaft, and the sliding bar 11, connected with the lower end of therock-bar and with the shaft, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a car 4, the bar 16, secured thereon, thehorizontal door 3, having vertical pivot 7, provided with a rack-seg-EMILE J. HERMAN.

In presence of- BENJN. A. KNIGHT, EDW. S. KNIGHT.

